Some residents have expressed their concern about the winding down of provincial funding for COVID-19. I would like to share the following excerpt from Dr. Etches’ verbal report to the Ottawa Board of Health at this past Monday’s board meeting:
Although, Ottawa Public Health is reaching the final phase of their plan to demobilize their dedicated COVID-19 response, this doesn’t mean that the work related to COVID-19 and respiratory viruses is ending. Addressing communicable diseases remains a core function of public health. It does mean that we don’t have the same resources as we did earlier in the pandemic and that, going forward, the work will be funded out of their base budget, as opposed to provincial COVID-19 funding.
OPH continues to be committed to raising COVID-19 awareness through a comprehensive communication strategy, including through targeted social media messaging, informative weekly local respiratory trend reporting, media interviews, advertising, and community outreach. OPH will also keep residents informed on prevention and mitigation strategies. Collaborating with partners and health units enhances OPH’s ability to share crucial information and promote healthy behaviors.
Many of OPH’s teams have an active ongoing role in addressing the significant burden respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, place on Ottawa residents and our health care system. and mitigation measures, including outbreak management, are in place, to minimize the impacts of respiratory illness in congregate settings.
OPH’s Epidemiology team keeps the public informed about the status of respiratory virus activity in Ottawa, through OPH’s Respiratory and Enteric Surveillance Dashboard, which summarizes weekly activity of COVID-19, influenza and other respiratory viruses, as well as provides a Respiratory Transmission Risk Assessment for Healthcare.
OPH’s Immunization Team is responsible for the distribution of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines to primary care, LTCH/RH, and hospital settings. OPH clinics currently offer COVID-19 vaccines to all residents and influenza vaccines with a focus on children under 5 and their families and people without OHIP. OPH is supporting the rollout of the new publicly funded RSV vaccine program to eligible retirement homes who do not have the support to administer vaccines in their facilities.
OPH will continue to have some COVID-19 immunization capacity through one rotating larger community clinic and multiple Neighbourhood Health and Wellness Hubs. The new Novavax vaccine that addresses the XBB variant of COVID has just been approved by Health Canada and we expect will become part of the vaccine inventory OPH will continue to offer.
I will continue to keep residents informed and up to date on the latest information provided by our partners at OPH.
